Suggestions? Best ways to acquire eBooks

[haertig]

Hi. New member here. First post.

I'm looking for recommendations for the best ways to acquire eBooks.

History: I started out with a B&N Nook Simple Touch (and I'm still using it). Recently added a Kindle Fire HD8. I was into eBooks at first, but they fell into disfavor for me as prices got higher and higher, and I could find my books as used mass market paperbacks for less than buying a eBook (significantly less). Fast forward several years, and here I am, willing to try eBooks again. Prices haven't come down, but there are other ways to acquire eBooks (library loans, Amazon Prime, etc.)

There are a couple of ways I've found in my recent endeavors to acquire eBooks. And I'm looking for recommendations to improve what I'm doing, or suggestions for other routes that I haven't discovered.

From worst to best (IMHO):

(5) Buy the eBook from Amazon or B&N. Expensive. DRM-laden. I can't move them between my Kindle and Nook. I am familiar with Calibre and the DeDRM plugin, and have used that successfully, so DRM is not a technical hurdle for me, just an ethical one. Best selection of all methods. Can take as long as you want to read a book, since it's yours (well, kind of).

(4) Borrow from Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Looks like a good selection. But at the monthly cost, I might as well just buy the eBook, because I don't get many chances to read a lot. If I'm going to spend $10 a month to rent one book (about my reading speed), I might as well buy that book for the $10 purchase price instead. I don't know the details of how many, or how long you can keep a rented book through Kindle Unlimited, as the price turned me off from the get-go. Nor do I know if Kindle unlimited is an additional payment on top of Amazon Prime, or if it's a stand-alone offering.

(3) Borrow the book from Amazon Prime for free. Obviously requires Amazon Prime subscription. Selection is very limited. Can take as long as you want to read a book. Only has a handful of books that I'm interested in. They don't seem to have "top tier" books, although some of what they offer can be good. But mostly things you've never heard of are found here.

(2) Borrow from a local library. Reasonably good selection. Good to join multiple local libraries, because each has a slightly different selection and differing availability of the selections that they do have. Many authors that I'd like to read are just plain missing from local libraries. Limited to 3 weeks to borrow/read a book. Often times long wait lists (making it impossible to renew a book you haven't finished, because someone else has a hold on it). If you put a hold on several wait listed books, they become available randomly, often times when you're right in the middle of some other book and not ready to start reading a new one yet. The problem here is compounded by the short 3 week load period. You can generally borrow a ton of eBooks, but you con't have time to read them all before the loan period expires.

(1) Borrow from Amazon Owner's Lending Library (requires Amazon Prime). I just discovered this one. I found several books I wanted here that I couldn't find elsewhere (except as a purchase). Take as long as you want to read a book. Limited to one per month, but that's about my reading speed anyway, so not a problem for me. The biggest problem I've encountered here is finding the books I want. I've only discovered how to scroll and scroll and scroll through a listing of books, no way to search AFAIK. When I try the search dialog, that pops me out of Lender's Library and into the main Amazon catalog where I'm looking at things to buy, not borrow. I have not found any way to search the Lender's Library from my desktop computer web browser, I have to use the "Books" tab on my Kindle Fire.

IMHO, eBook retailers have kind of killed the golden goose with high pricing on many eBooks. I cannot see any reason for them to cost more than a paperback copy of the same book. They should cost less. Sometimes an eBook is less, but just as likely, it costs more.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I would really like some suggestions/help on (1), relating to how you can search for books you're interested in from the Amazon's Lending library. Is there a way to search that I just haven't found yet?

For (2), I have found a partially workable way to handle this. Join multiple local libraries. Check all the libraries you belong to, then borrow from the one that has the most copies of your book available and (hopefully) a non-existent wait list. Then you can more likely renew when the time comes. I have found wide variance in local libraries. One may have 5 copies of a book, with a wait list of 28 people. The other may have 2 copies, but with zero wait list. It pays to check each library before borrowing.

How else do people acquire eBooks? I'm certainly not against buying them, but only if the cost is reasonable. I've seen many books that I want that would cost $11.99 to buy as an eBook, or $4 to buy (shipping included) as a used mass market paperback in "very good" condition. I might prefer an eBook for convenience, but sometimes the price does set me back a step.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions!

[JSWolf]

Before I answer, where do you live? The answer is location dependent.

[jhowell]

Since you haven't said I am going to assume you are in the US.

I purchase (from Amazon) books from my favorite authors that I just can't wait to read. Otherwise I borrow from libraries. I don't feel a need to own copies of all of the books I read.

The book selection in the Kindle Owner's Lending Library is almost identical to Kindle Unlimited. If you only read one book a month there is no point in paying for KU. There is a large selection but it is almost all self published and small publisher books.

When you search for books on Amazon there is a checkbox in the left side panel to limit searches to Kindle Unlimited. The results will be pretty much the same as searching the Owner's Lending Library from your device. If you find a book you like then you can double check its availability in the Lending Library on your device. (There are also ways to search the Lending Library directly from a browser, but they are more complicated.)

I recommend checking if your local public library allows borrowing of ebooks and if so what selection they have. There are also libraries that you can join for a fee if you do not live in their service area. You can find several threads here on that.

Some more notes:

You can suspend holds at OverDrive while you are reading one book so that others do not become available until you are ready.

Also many libraries allow ebook lending via Freading and Hoopla. These don't have the latest best sellers, but they do not have wait lists and you can immediately borrow a book again if you need more time.

[Cinisajoy]

Read public domain books, or check Amazon for sales.
I have yet to pay over $3 for an ebook with the exception of Atlas Shrugged.
No, this will not get you the latest bestseller. It will however get you plenty of back list books.
I highly recommend signing up for Bookbub emails.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by haertig

IMHO, eBook retailers have kind of killed the golden goose with high pricing on many eBooks. I cannot see any reason for them to cost more than a paperback copy of the same book. They should cost less. Sometimes an eBook is less, but just as likely, it costs more.

Blame publishers for most pricing, not retailers (if someone needs to be blamed). Ebooks sometimes cost more because while retailers can discount and price compete on paper books they often can't on ebooks and are stuck with whatever price the publisher set.

How else do people acquire eBooks? I'm certainly not against buying them, but only if the cost is reasonable. I've seen many books that I want that would cost $11.99 to buy as an eBook, or $4 to buy (shipping included) as a used mass market paperback in "very good" condition. I might prefer an eBook for convenience, but sometimes the price does set me back a step.

If you're comparing to used book prices you're usually not going to find the ebook cheaper (unless on a sale). Publishers have to pay their staff and authors (and I agree sometimes pricing is more than I'll pay, so for me that's library time or wait for a price drop) while used book pricing can often be a race to the bottom with some sellers willing to literally make pennies per copy, at least with more popular high print run titles.

[haertig]

Yes, I am in the US. In the northern part of the Denver, Colorado metro area (many different towns/cities ring Denver, so lots of local library choices here)

[Barbara1955]

https://www.ereaderiq.com/

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

https://www.ereaderiq.com/

For fiction and price checking, he is great. For cheap non-fiction, read the descriptions carefully.

[Deskisamess]

For a person who only reads one book per month, I'm not sure I'd recommend an e-reader. If I only read, on average, one book per month, I'd be borrowing that book from the public library, or picking it up at the local thrift shop.

If you want the benefits of an e-reader, such as front lighting, font control, etc. I would probably still recommend the public library. Unless you're interested in working on your own personal library. If that is the case, I'd suggest Amazon as your store, because of ease of use.

My husband probably averages 1 book per month, because he still works full time and only has about 30 minutes per day of reading time, and he is a slow reader. He loves his Paperwhite. But it was my interest in Kindles that prompted his getting one. On his own, he probably wouldn't have.

Price isn't a deciding factor for me when I consider buying a book. You can have more than device registered to an Amazon account, so a book can be read by several users at the same time. You can't do that with a print book.

[Blossom]

If you only read one book a month Overdrive is the way to go. Say Brooklyn or Free Library of Philadelphia for $50 a year and you save $50+ you don't get to keep the book but that is the cheapest option or your local library which is usually free but like mine the selection might not be much.

Sent from my XT1528

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

For a person who only reads one book per month, I'm not sure I'd recommend an e-reader.

I have always prefered paper books for the most part. However, eReaders are good for one handed use like reading in bed. They don't close on you, and they are very lightweight. At least my Nook Simple Touch is light (not so the Kindle Fire HD8). Also, you don't have the physical storage problems for eBooks that you do with paper books.

But I don't think one book format is always better than the other in all cases. What is the better format changes for me over time. I can swing one way, then swing the other. I am not forced to make a permanent choice. At this moment, I am swinging back towards eBooks. I can't say why really, and I can't say that eBooks are the best format for me. But it's where I am at right now, for whatever reason.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by haertig

I have always prefered paper books for the most part. However, eReaders are good for one handed use like reading in bed. They don't close on you, and they are very lightweight. At least my Nook Simple Touch is light (not so the Kindle Fire HD8). Also, you don't have the physical storage problems for eBooks that you do with paper books.

But I don't think one book format is always better than the other in all cases. What is the better format changes for me over time. I can swing one way, then swing the other. I am not forced to make a permanent choice. At this moment, I am swinging back towards eBooks. I can't say why really, and I can't say that eBooks are the best format for me. But it's where I am at right now, for whatever reason.

Hi. I notice you got a Fire. A fire is much heavier than an ereader. A fire is a tablet with an ereader app.
Now on your swinging: I swing both ways. Depends on what I am doing and where I am.
Now as to silly things, I once read an ebook on 3 devices. Ereader outside, fire inside and a computer for looking at the photographs.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Hi. I notice you got a Fire. A fire is much heavier than an ereader.

Quite true. I bought the Fire as an impulse purchase on Amazon's Prime Day when it was only $49. I bought it for other things than to use as an eReader. However, I will admit that getting the Fire made me pick up my old dusty Nook Simple Touch after years of neglect. The Fire got me interested in giving eBooks a second try. If I stick with the eBooks, then I will probably buy a basic Kindle eReader. Nothing against the Nook Simple Touch, I actually like that eReader itself, but it seems that eBooks from B&N are more expensive than the same eBooks from Amazon. Not always, but that is my general impression. Plus, I keep seeing hints and rumors that B&N might be on the way to it's grave. Don't know how well founded those predictions are though.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by haertig

Quite true. I bought the Fire as an impulse purchase on Amazon's Prime Day when it was only $49. I bought it for other things than to use as an eReader. However, I will admit that getting the Fire made me pick up my old dusty Nook Simple Touch after years of neglect. The Fire got me interested in giving eBooks a second try. If I stick with the eBooks, then I will probably buy a basic Kindle eReader. Nothing against the Nook Simple Touch, I actually like that eReader itself, but it seems that eBooks from B&N are more expensive than the same eBooks from Amazon. Not always, but that is my general impression. Plus, I keep seeing hints and rumors that B&N might be on the way to it's grave. Don't know how well founded those predictions are though.

Well now I do know B&N no longer own the Nook or no longer support it or something like that. Yes, on some books they are higher.

I am going to be nosy, what type of books do you read?
I may can lead you to some inexpensive finds.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by haertig

Quite true. I bought the Fire as an impulse purchase on Amazon's Prime Day when it was only $49. I bought it for other things than to use as an eReader. However, I will admit that getting the Fire made me pick up my old dusty Nook Simple Touch after years of neglect. The Fire got me interested in giving eBooks a second try. If I stick with the eBooks, then I will probably buy a basic Kindle eReader. Nothing against the Nook Simple Touch, I actually like that eReader itself, but it seems that eBooks from B&N are more expensive than the same eBooks from Amazon. Not always, but that is my general impression. Plus, I keep seeing hints and rumors that B&N might be on the way to it's grave. Don't know how well founded those predictions are though.

The Fire would be good for magazines, and books with color pictures. The ease of use with Amazon is a huge plus for many users. Even for public library books, it is very easy and seamless as long as your library supports Kindle format.

Their support is also terrific, should that be important to you. Amazon is the only e-book vendor (I think) that allows returns of digital books. If you get a book with copious errors, or you find you've already read it, they allow for returns within 7 days of purchase.